First Valentine's Day
by Lara Chubb of Deephollow
Summary: 10.5 and Rose are living in the alternate universe. The Doctor loves Rose entirely, but he is unsure if Rose can ever love him because he is just a copy of the 'man' she fell in love with. That's why he has to find her the perfect Valentine's Day gift.


This is just a bit of fluff that I decided to do in honor of Valentine's Day! I suppose what initially inspired this was when I was watching an interview with Russell T. Davies; he mentioned something about Rose and that she and the other Doctor were happy in the alternate universe. I know it wasn't official or anything, but it was nice to hear because I often wondered what happened to them. Journey's End seemed to imply that they were going to be together… but you never know…

**Well that's enough of my fangirl ramblings……. On with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, nor do I own Valentine's Day.**

On the planet Hortus, in a very posh garden, a tall man meandered through the turning pathways; he seemed to be in search of something, his eyes flickering from one flowery display to another. His attention only lingered at the most exquisite exhibits, but seemingly even those would not do and he moved on, wearing a forlorn look about his face. The Doctor, for that is the identity of the man, was in search of the perfect gift. The perfect Valentine's Day gift to be exact, the whole day had sort of just sneaked up on him. He was cross with himself for waiting until the last second to do these sorts of things. He supposed he was just used to cutting things close, although the outcome of this little adventure was more important to the Doctor than thwarting another one of the Master's plans or saving a galaxy. No, this was so much more terrifying. Love was something that the Doctor had an odd relationship with, if you could call it a relationship. He had been in love, yes, in love with the human race, in love with Earth, in love with the wonder of the universe. But falling in love with a human was out of the question, there were so many reasons why he couldn't _be_ with a human. That's why he had always kept his companions at a safe distance, never getting too close. And then there was Rose. The one who got closer than all the others, the one he couldn't stop himself from loving. He couldn't explain how painful it was to try not to give into love. And that pain was nothing compared to when he lost his chance to give into it, that day at Bad Wolf Bay.

But life had given him a second chance, well half of him a second chance. And not even half, technically he was just a hand… just a hand. The Doctor shook his head, like he was trying to change his thoughts. He didn't like thinking about it, because of his genius he understood how it happened quite perfectly, but it was an odd thing to think about. What bothered him the most though was what Rose thought about it. By all rights she shouldn't love him, he wasn't the Doctor she fell in love with. Of course he had all the memories, the appearance, the intelligence, that the original had; in fact the only difference was that he had one less heart (and he sometimes used to talk like Donna, but he quickly got out of the habit).

"Oh but there is one thing I am able to do that he can't," thought the Doctor, "I can love her."

That was it wasn't it? The whole point of his other self leaving the two of them in this alternate dimension. He could love her. In this form the Doctor could love, grow old, and just simply _be_ with Rose. He felt like this was always supposed to happen, finally he was given a reward for his centuries of service to the universe. Though, his other self was still out there, saving worlds but still as lonely as ever. The Doctor often wondered if his original self thought about him and Rose; maybe just knowing that a part of him was out there living 'happily ever after' with her gave him some sort of joy? However, they weren't living that cliché fairytale ending, not yet anyway. Their story was so much different from any fairy tale he had heard, even the tales of the clone planets didn't end with the heroine running off with just a copy of the hero. She always rode off into the sunset with the real deal.

Despite this unpredictable turn of events, Rose had been brilliant this past year; the Doctor could tell that she tried very hard to forget the fact that he was a copy and just see the Doctor, her Doctor. She seemed to _know_ that this was how things were meant to be, like destiny; but accepting that was always hard. He didn't blame her though, in fact he expected her to be much more uncomfortable with the situation than she was. But humans always have a way of surprising the Doctor, after that day she seemed determined to treat him as if he was the real Doctor. Try as she may, there were moments when she remembered what he really was. She wasn't obvious at these times, but he could see it in her eyes; at those moments there was a distance between them. As the months went on, these moments of remembrance become less and less. It had been weeks since the last time something like that had occurred, and that gave the Doctor hope that maybe one day she could love him entirely. That's why he was currently on one of the most beautiful planets in the world searching for the perfect Valentine's day gift. He had to show her how much he cared for her, how much he loved her.

"But nothing is good enough!" the Doctor groaned, running his hands down his face, which pulled the skin down and made his eyes look larger than normal. A couple enjoying the lovely gardens began to hurry their pace in the opposite direction.

He shouldn't let himself get so worked up, he knew full well that Rose would love anything that he gave her. That's why she needed the perfect gift, because she was so perfect.

The Doctor halted, sniffed the air, and looked to his left. He saw a path leading into a forest, a dark forest to be precise. This is the kind of thing that the Doctor wish he hadn't seen, his curiosity often got in the way of things and usually got him into trouble as well. 'I should just keep down my current path, I need to keep looking for Rose's flowers,' the Doctor told himself; but he knew he wouldn't listen. What if down that path lies what he is searching for? They wouldn't put a path there if it was dangerous, would they? Besides, he smelled something pretty in that direction, and that must mean that there must be something pretty there (he knew all too well that this was never the case, but he was just searching for excuses to go exploring now). While he was thinking things over, he couldn't help but notice that his feet were already leading him down the trail. He was actually a good ways into the forest by now, when had his feet gotten so bold?

"The pair of them learned from the best, I suppose," he said grinning to himself.

And that's when he saw _it_.

He came upon a clearing and that's when his breath was taken away by the most beautiful thing (besides Rose) that he had ever laid eyes on. And that was saying a lot, he'd seen so many beautiful things, he had learned not to trust beautiful things but prudence seemed to have taken the day off, so he walked towards the beautiful sight. Their shape was something that he had never seen on a flower before, but that is not what captivated his eyes. It was the color, or would it be more appropriate to say colors? There was ever color that he had seen, even colors that he had not seen, sort of pulsating through the petals of the flowers. The colors were like moving liquid flowing over the petals, and yet the flowers were completely still. In addition, they gave off this glow, that had sort of a golden hue. The Doctor dared to place a finger on one of the petals, he gave it a quick tap and looked in awe as the colors rippled throughout the plant.

"These are the ones," the Doctor stated, grabbing a few of these beautiful plants and pulling out a small knife to cut the stems. He was about to turn away, prize in hand, when he felt the ground move.

He closed his eyes, why did this always happen to him? Could he just once go to a planet, without risking his life? The Doctor shrugged, he guessed that's just the price he had to pay for being so brilliant. He opened his eyes when the ground moved for a second time, this time it practically arose from under his feet and lifting him about fifteen feet off the ground. He tried to keep a steady balance but it was soon lost and he toppled to the ground. He thanked his lucky stars that he had enough wits about him to make sure not to crush Rose's flowers.

From his hapless spot on the ground, the Doctor craned his neck up to get a good look at whatever he had been standing on. He examined it quizzically, at first all he could see was just a big mound of earth and rock. Then he noticed the eyes, his body jumped when he caught sight of them; they weren't like any normal eyes that he was used to. They didn't have that glassy look that eyes had, these were more earthy and honestly didn't look much like eyes at all. The only way he could really tell what they were was because they were staring at him. He had a knack for knowing when he was being stared at. Breaking his fixation on the eyes, he glanced at the rest of the form. He could see the body now, it looked like it was made of rock and earth, there were hands, arms, legs, a head with the flowers upon it. It was then that he noticed the growling sound, and with it he noticed the cave like mouth lined with sharp rocks, which he only imagined to be teeth.

The Doctor slowly pulled himself up off the ground.

"Oh I see it now," he said brushing the dirt of his backside, "you wait down in the Earth, and lure poor creatures here with that beautiful display upon your head. That's marvelous!"

The 'monster' didn't seem to have any understanding of his words, but as usual the Doctor kept talking.

"Well, this probably looks awkward," he scratched the back of his head, "me standing here with what I can only assume is a lock of your hair… but I have a really good explanation for all thi-"

From the creature's mouth, erupted a terrifying howl, it had obviously lost its patients with the Doctor.

"I should probably be off now," he said backing away, "got to get back to the missus…"

But each step he took back the monster took one towards him, The Doctor decided this would be a good time to start running. And he did. Flowers still in hand, he almost flew down the path, glancing only a few times to see if he was still being followed. He was. And much too closely than he usually preferred. It was time for some quick thinking, his specialty.

He got far enough ahead of the creature that he was able to stop and take a look at his surroundings. He could see the edge of the forest wasn't far, and with only a few minutes he could be back to where he had started, but he didn't want to lead this thing into the main gardens, so he couldn't leave just yet. He looked about the forest for something useful but all he could see were trees…. Ah but these trees had vines. 'Is it really all that simple?' he questioned himself, but there was no time to argue. He set to work with his trap, breaking off one of the longer vines and tying it between two large trees. The Doctor took his position about twenty feet away form his trap (he didn't want to be fallen on). And thus began phase two, the taunting.

"Hey! Mr. Slowpoke, are you going to be here anytime soon? I've got to be off!" for something that couldn't understand his words, it seemed to be very angered by them. Good. "You know, you are just so stupid. Is your head full of rocks or something?" the Doctor smirked, "well it probably is isn't it?"

The monster was getting close, it would only be a few seconds now.

"Oi! Have you ever head the saying: The bigger you are," the very angry creature lunged at him, not taking any notice of the trap that the Doctor had laid out. Its massive legs were soon tangled in the vine, and it crashed into the ground. "The harder they fall."

The Doctor crouched down beside the beast, it seemed to be unconscious. "You know what," mused the Doctor, "I think that was the most cliché thing I have ever done."

He straightened himself up, and stretched. He felt very apprehensive, nothing was ever this simple, so he decided to get back to the TARDIS as soon as possible; before the universe had time to notice that he got off easy this time.

As he strolled back to his transport, he hid the flowers (surprisingly in good condition) in the inside of his jacket. It was probably best that no one else caught sight of them. That did not, however, stop him from getting any odd looks. Looking down at his clothes he saw why he was being stared at. His appearance was completely disheveled, his coat and suit were covered in dirt and his hands were almost completely brown with earth. Funny, he didn't remember getting this dirty, but he _was_ sort of preoccupied at the time. He'd have to change as soon as he got back to the Tyler Estate, and definitely before he saw Rose.

Catching sight of the TARDIS, he quickened his pace, eager to get back home and present his gift. He laid the flowers gently on a table next to the console, they hadn't lost any of their beauty. They actually looked better, if that were possible, probably because he had a tiff a huge rock monster to get them.

"Here we go," he said as he pushed the buttons and turned the knobs that would take him home. As he traveled through the vortex, something knotted up in his stomach and a sort of nervousness came over him. He didn't like it, he was used to being sure of his actions, and this uncertainty was something that he just couldn't get the hang of. He loved Rose with all of his singular heart, and he would give anything to know that she loved him the same. She seemed to love him, but how could he know for sure?

The TARDIS came to a halt as it materialized in the basement of the Tyler mansion. The Doctor looked at the monitors to make sure no one was around. He didn't want anyone to know that he had used the TARDIS, he had just finished it and he imagined Rose would be angry if she found out that he used it without her.

He briskly locked the TARDIS doors and was about to head up the stairs when he heard someone coming down. He had the good sense to put the flowers behind his back before the basement door opened. It was Rose. She gave him a surprised look, he tried to act calm but it was proving to be difficult.

"What are you doing down here then?" she said, crossing her arms.

"N-nothing, I was just making a few adjustments," stuttered the Doctor. Great. That was the worst cover-up ever.

"You took it for a test run didn't ya," she said flatly.

"No, no, no, I just…," she gave him a look that told him she did not believe a word of it, "okay, yes, but just a little one. She did great for her first time out." He gave a smile, trying to appease her.

"Just a little one, huh? Well, we're goin' to discuss this later," she chided, looking up and down at his ragged appearance. "Come on, I've got something for you in the kitchen." She looked at him, trying to get him to go up the stairs first.

"Ladies first, go on," he persuaded. She eyed the arm that was behind his back and reluctantly went up the stairs before him.

Well, this could have gone better. He wanted to look all snazy when he presented her with the flowers. But maybe this look would work, the rugged handsome look. He shook his head, no, he probably just looked silly.

He followed Rose into the kitchen. "Rose I-" but he was cut short.

"Happy Valentine's day!" She exclaimed, holding out a very pink cupcake covered in edible ball bearings. He was never so emotional about a pastry as he was now, he swore that this body got too sentimental sometimes.

"Don't you like it Doctor?" she sounded a little hurt.

"No, I love it! It's brilliant!" he exclaimed, he may have overdone it a little, but he was afraid that he had almost hurt her feelings with his emotions. He took the cupcake with his free hand.

"And these are for you," he said, holding out the bouquet to her.

He would never forget for the rest of his life, the way that she looked at those flowers. Her eyes light up as she took them in her hands.

"They're beautiful," she whispered, she was too taken aback by their beauty to talk any louder. The Doctor could do nothing but just stare, her smile was far brighter than the flowers themselves. He couldn't contain the joy he felt, when he saw how happy they made her.

"What?" she laughed, when she caught him staring at her.

"I would be glad to get you flowers everyday of your life, if it meant that you would smile like that every time," he beamed at her.

"Doctor, I don't need flowers to make me smile," she said softly, moving closer to him and setting the flowers gently on the counter, "I just need you."

Those words were like a trigger, and he wasn't able to hold back any longer. He threw his arms around her, holding her so close. He was unable to speak, unable to move, unable to let go. His eyes were wet with tears, it was obvious that this body was too emotional. Or maybe he was always like this and it wasn't until now that he felt comfortable expressing his feelings. Whatever the case was, he knew he was happy now, happier than he had ever been. Because she loved him, he knew that now and he would never doubt it again.

Rose pulled back from him.

"Besides, I think you were put to a lot of trouble getting those flowers," she teased, brushing some dirt out of his hair.

"Well, maybe a little," he sighed, "but it was well worth it."

"I love you," she said, looking up at him.

"And I love you too Rose Tyler," the Doctor breathed, choking back some unwanted tears, "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day," said Rose, pulling him in for a kiss.

Well that ended up a lot longer than originally planned. I didn't plan on putting a monster in there but it just sort of worked its way in. Besides, what's Doctor Who without monsters? Anyway, I know it's super cheesy, but I have to get these kind of things out of my system :P I hope you enjoyed it at least a little bit! And PLEASE review!!!!!!!

Here's a link to a sketch I did, that sort of got 'the ball rolling' for this fic: .com/art/First-Valentine-s-day-154178573

For those of you who don't get the ball bearings reference, watch the episode 'Fear Her' it's a good one.

And for those who did not know 10.5 had a TARDIS, look at this deleted scene: .com/watch?v=Un47J4vsGqI gah… watching it again almost made me cry…. I'm such a sap….

Okay, well that's it. Thanks for reading and don't forget to Review!!! :D


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